TV Review // Doctor Who: Series 9, Episode 10: 'Face The Raven'
Warning: contains spoilers for this episode and the finale of
Series 9!
Cast: Peter Capaldi, Jenna
Coleman, Maisie Williams, Jovian Wade
Written by: Sarah Dollard
Directed by: Justin Molotnikov
I write this review
in the face of significant anger at the BBC and Doctor Who show runner, Steven
Moffat, who I suspect of enormous rug-pulling, which has somewhat soured my
ability to totally enjoy Sarah Dollard’s wonderfully scripted episode, Face The Raven.
I understand the need
of a modern programme to keep the viewer interested with press releases and
“Coming next” pieces, but when you’re watching an episode where a much-loved
companion dies, yet the show’s own makers have the latest edition of Doctor Who
magazine featuring said companion in a scene from a future episode, it can only
dull the emotional impact of what you are watching.
But let’s leave the
“Is Clara really dead?” question aside for now and judge Face The Raven on its own merits.
Which are many…
As I’ve already said, Sarah Dollard’s script is an absolute
beauty, brought to glorious life by everyone involved, and I would note that
composer Murray Gold’s score throughout this episode is his best in a long,
long time.
The story involves Rigsy (who we last saw in series 8’s
superlative Flatline) who is now a dad (which is lovely), but who also
has a tattoo on his neck that is counting down to zero (which is clearly not
lovely at all). Rigsy calls the Doctor and Clara to help him and the trio end
up in a hidden “trap street”* - a secret alien sanctuary right in the middle of
London.
Running the hidden street is Mayor Me (aka Ashildr with a short
memory), the returning Maisie Williams, who has been made to live for eternity
by the Doctor, but who still has a human-sized brain. Ashildr has become
even more cynical and less human as the years have passed, although she does
have a seemingly genuine affection for Clara, who Ashildr now remembers only
through her diaries.
Ashildr has placed the countdown tattoo on Rigsy’s neck, believing
that he may be involved in the death of one of her people. It’s the flimsiest
of excuses on which to hang a death sentence, but Ashildr places the sanctity
of peace on the street above all else, however unfair.
We’ve seen over Capaldi’s two series as The Doctor that Clara has
increasingly taken over the “Doctor” role; she has become giddy and reckless in
the face of her travels in time and space with everyone’s favourite
Gallifreyan. She wants to be the Doctor, but doesn’t have 2000 years or a Time
Lord’s knowledge under her belt. The Doctor has allowed Clara to take on his
role to such a degree that in fact, it could be reasonably argued that he is
responsible for her fate here as she takes on Rigsy’s death sentence, believing
that there’ll be a clever way out of it. There isn’t.
Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi are at their absolute best here as
the realisation of what must happen to Clara - that she must die - becomes
apparent. As The Doctor’s rage begins to emerge, Clara puts an absolute stop to
it. She refuses to allow him to consider revenge (although, whether this will
happen or not, we can only wait to find out). And this is where Sarah Dollard
does such a wonderful, wonderful job.
“You’re going to be alone now, and you’re very bad at that” says
Clara. She knows what The Doctor may be capable of as Ashildr’s transport
bracelet readies itself to take him away to who knows where. “What’s the point
of being The Doctor if I can’t cure you?” asks The Doctor, his heartbreak at
Clara’s impending death writ large on his weary face. This is acting and
scriptwriting at its most sublime.
And so Clara must inevitably face the raven. And death. Or is it?
We’ll have to wait to see what the series finale brings for Clara,
but we really do wish that if a character is dead, they stay dead. (To have the
possibility - or probability - of Clara’s return in mind when watching her
death can only lessen its impact on us.) We certainly hope that her end, when
it does finally come, is a fitting one. Maybe this was it. Most likely it
wasn’t.
The most heartbreaking ending to a companion’s story in recent
years has been that of the brilliant temp from Chiswick, Donna Noble. Having
travelled with her “best mate” and having become the most important woman in
the Universe, The Doctor had to wipe all traces of him and their adventures
from her mind in order to save her. It was an appalling end for a brilliant
character. It was also fitting, even if they did bring Donna back for one last
hurrah in David Tennant’s final episodes.
In a similar vein to the Doctor/Donna relationship, one of the
joys of the twelfth Doctor/Clara relationship has been the complete absence of
any “boyfriend” romance, but rather an emotional friendship, where each needs
the other. If Steven Moffat brings Clara back for a last hurrah, then we’ll
probably forgive him in time. For now, though, let’s take Face The Raven
on face value and see it as a suitably devastating ending for The Impossible
Girl.
Fan pleasing moments: Glimpses of the
Judoon, a Sontaran, an Ood and a Cyberman in the trip street population.
Questions, questions: What will happen to
The Doctor’s confession dial now?
Will we see more appearances in future episodes from Maisie
Williams? Will she be the next companion? It doesn’t bear thinking about now
that Ashildr is set on a path that could achieve a Doctor/Master level of
frenemy-ship.
If the TARDIS has been in London long
enough to have become a shrine to Clara, where can The Doctor be?
Will we see Jovian Wade as Rigsy again? We hope so!
Music: It can only be Murray Gold’s gorgeous
score.
Trap Streets: (courtesy of Wikipedia): “Trap streets are often nonexistent streets; but sometimes, rather
than actually depicting a street where none exists, a map will misrepresent the
nature of a street in a fashion that can still be used to detect copyright
violators but is less likely to interfere with navigation. For instance, a map
might add nonexistent bends to a street, or depict a major street as a narrow
lane, without changing its location or its connections to other streets.
Next: Heaven Sent
(Andrea McGuire. Images © BBC )
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